Bloodfeather || Celina ||

[Wolfbane]

He’d thought to bring her small things because once upon a time, Lepis had liked to collect items of no great value and stash them away in hidden crevices herself. Celina’s mother had been fond of geodes, Wolfbane remembered, but while he took the little stones individually from their warm hiding place underneath his wing and placed them one-by-one on the stump for his daughters approval, he’s fairly certain that his wife would’ve had a myriad of other little shiny, self-important trinkets hidden away all over Loess. Like mother, like daughter he supposed.

“Celina I could never be mad at you.” Her father responded without hesitation, pausing for a moment to look into her worried eyes. He reassured her the best way he knew how: smiling and reaching out briefly to tousle the growing length of her forelock. All the while he contemplated what lengths his mate had gone to in order to keep a lie alive and well inside the wishful hearts of their offspring. That was wrong of Lepis, he accused - not understanding the depth and necessity of her facade - what if I had truly never returned?

Would the heartbreak have been worse?

“Every night the stars would wake up and rise out their bed, twinkling to remind me about you and mother, Elio, Pteron and your other siblings. It was a long flight home - but I would come back for you. Just like I left for Eyas. I would go to the ends of this world and many more for you, your brothers and sisters, understand?” He pressed this one thing into her mind, so that Celina might never forget it. The hate and misunderstanding of horses who didn’t know him, the disappointment and anger from his spouse, all could be shouldered between his wings but letting his children down? No. That was one thing Wolfbane couldn’t let rest.

Gale. Tiercel. Their vacancy is one jagged, aching hole unwilling to give him peace.

“Well look at that!” The stallion burst into a grin after the moment had passed and the final stones laid out for inspection. He lowered the short arch of his poll down to Celina’s level (she was growing so fast for her age!) and eyed the glimmering additions to her own skin. Up close they resembled blue-white pearls, winking whenever a small lightning bug passed them to illuminate their iridescence. “I bring a shiny surprise for you, and you show me a shiny surprise too.” The elder male laughed in a deep, rich baritone.

Questioning her, the patriarch returned to pick up one stone and begin the process of twisting them into her mane, only to turn back and see his not-so-babyish girl hopping madly with excitement. “Hah, easy there wild child.” He did his best to soothe her, stepping closer until the shadow cast by his neck darkened her mane. “You think the world could handle a firecracker like yourself?” He asked, already knowing the answer. Quietly he shape-shifted a bit, sprouting adept little forearms and monkey paws on either side of his neck that worked quickly to weave the stone into her mane. His tail stiffened and elongated, acting like a whip/claw that struck out, gathered another stone, and brought it forward continuing the process.

Odd but effective, he grimaced, wondering if Celina would be put off by the growths at all. Sometimes his changes could be majestic and regal; this time (like it had been in the beginning) was… freaky. “There’s a lot to see out there. But I left home when I was your age.” He reminisced pleasantly, trying to smooth over the awkwardness he felt at his new bodily additions. “So maybe it is time you go on some adventures, hmm?” Bane contemplated, stepping back to admire the handiwork while his miniature forearms and prehensile tail returned to a state of normalcy.

Celina now sported four rows of stacked stones all woven equally into her hair. They would clink softly and shimmer when she moved. “Where exactly would you like to go, my small adventurer?”

@[Celina]